Kathleen Costa

Like all new parents, it’s the 3 a.m. hollering and sleepless nights that are hard to handle, but for Sally and Mike, they have a whole family of willing babysitters. Good because there’s the big order for cookies and such for the Easter holiday that needs her “wide awake” attention. But, Sally’s dad, needs some of that attention; his friend is missing. “Honest” Eddie Phibbins, director of Phibbins Mortuary, is also one of Dom’s biggest advertisers on his blog, and according to his wife, hasn’t been seen for forty-eight hours.

The Treasure King, a boat twice the size of anything at the marina and with a captain whose last visit to Seaside Cove was trouble, has once again docked. The trouble starts immediately when Captain Carroll is asked, more like demanded, to move his boat, which also included a follow-up visit from the law to punctuate the idea of following the rules. The captain is also publicizing he has evidence that shows the location of the San Manuel, a ship that in 1568 sunk with treasure worth millions, if not billions, in today’s market. So is it any surprise that the captain is found dead? Arguments. Threats. Competition. Greed. Murder.

Thirty-one-year-old Yaley Woodard, a local tour guide for the Sierra Club, has been missing for a couple of days, and Violet Rhinehammer is right there with the “Breaking News,” sticking her microphone into Mae’s face for insights. Mae hadn’t even heard that anyone had been “snatched” in broad daylight, but she did personally understand that one might just up and leave without notice. Disillusioned by her own small town life and childhood tragedies, Mae left Perrysburg, Kentucky, the second she turned eighteen, never really intending to return.

Finding entertainment during this “stay at home” season may be challenging, however, for me, it is as close as my iPad and the BritBox app. I am a happy Anglophile with a huge library of movies, mini series, and television shows included in my very reasonable membership (monthly or annual fee options). I can start with a couple comedy shows like Waiting for God and Scarborough or dramas like DSI Bancroft and Casualty 1900s: London Hospital, or get comfy for a long weekend of binging all of thriller MI-5 and police procedural Prime Suspect. I have also found new-to-me shows like Taggart, Blandings, and The Mallorca Files offering lots of entertainment.

Poppy’s “slimy” cousin Hubert Leach, a property agent, has been a bittersweet part in her life, but she thought the “quid pro quo” agreement she’d made would turn out to be simple and easy to fulfill. He had given Nell a lucrative cleaning contract, and Poppy promised a return “favor,” and being his date at an invitation-only cocktail party seemed a small price to pay. Until the “quo” was more than her “quid” could handle.

Mabel Skinner has inherited her Aunt Peggy’s garlic farm appropriately, but oddly, christened “Stinkin’ Stuff Farm.” She knows how to code and create apps, a solitary career that fits her personality, however, it is in stark contrast to her Aunt Peggy’s community involvement and plethora of friends in the small Massachusetts town of West Slocum.

Eve Appel Egret has quite the busy life in and around the swamp area outside of Sabal Bay, Florida, running a consignment shop and RV with her close friend Madeleine Boudreau Wilson, apprenticing with a local PI Crusty McNabb, and dealing with an extended family serious about their ancestral roots. There is her husband Sammy Egret who runs an airboat business along with working part-time as the manager at the local animal reserve with Madeleine’s husband David.

A last minute invite (really a plea for an invite) to a civil war reenactment seems the perfect learning experience for the Girl Scout troop. Excitement abounds with the idea of immersing themselves into the local history surrounding the 1865 Battle of Idiot Creek (although the real battle and the re-enactment have little in common except for the skunk), clothing themselves in period dress (corsets?), camping and cooking outdoors, and acting the part of the Ladies Auxiliary Aid Society.

Stuck at home? Streaming your entertainment on an iPad, iPhone, or computer is a great option, and BritBox is one of my favorites! With a more than reasonable monthly fee, or the annual fee option for convenience, Anglophiles living in the U.S., like me, have access to hours and hours of classic mysteries, contemporary detective dramas, laugh out loud sit-coms, and thought-provoking documentaries. Often a whole series with multiple seasons is available providing “binge” fanatics the perfect opportunity to enjoy it all…no waiting!

It’s a big Easter celebration at Tremayne Manor and loads of children are squealing over the eggs they’ve spotted hidden in the grass. Marla and her best friend Tally, with little Luke in tow, are enjoying the festivities, but “Blinky,” dressed as the iconic Easter Bunny, is no where to be found.

Lola’s cousin Leti is so excited about her upcoming nuptials which unfortunately includes Lola dressed in “hideous” bridesmaid fashion and an out-of-her-comfort-zone bachelorette party, but it’s the new case at work that has brought her more concern. Jack has suggested Marnie Haskell engage Camacho and Associates, specifically recommending Lola, to investigate the issues surrounding the tragic death of her son Philip. Jack’s mother is a friend of Marnie’s, and he knew Philip growing up. Phil had been found having hung himself, and authorities determined his death, of course, to be a suicide, but Marnie knew her son wouldn’t kill himself.

With travel restricted and getting out and about raising concerns, for me finding a distraction is still as close as my iPad or iPhone. AcornTV adds weekly to their streaming library ample choices for any interest from dramas to comedies, private detectives to police procedurals, from mini series to movies, and of course, fascinating documentaries.

It‘s November, it’s cold, it’s very early, and it’s “Ma” on the line…Sydney is not amused. With an “I’d rather give up a kidney than go home for Christmas” attitude, she feigns a busy schedule, which isn’t entirely true since it is the winter season with few events to manage at the Inn.

Roxanne “Roxy” Bloom has transformed her life leaving behind an ex and a law career, attending barista school and cooking classes, and relocating to Honey Springs, Kentucky, where, as a teenager, she spent many wonderful summers with her Aunt Maxine Bloom.

KRL Adoptable Cat
Apollo is a 6 month old male tuxedo cat who is a happy, loving, bright-eyed little fuzz-ball dressed in his cute tuxedo waiting for his furrever home! Everyone he meets is his instant friend and he proves it by all the purrs he shares. He loves to be scooped up to be nuzzled and cuddled and talked to. Could Apollo be your family’s darling addition? Please give this great kitty a chance by applying for her and visiting her at our Parlier, Ca facility. She is available at Cat House on the Kings.

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